Broadcast television programming typically includes advertisements interspersed between the segments of the television show. The value of these advertisements is highly dependent on the amount of viewers that watch a television show. The amount of viewers watching the television show is typically determined using statistical sampling calculated by research firms, such as Nielsen Media Research. These statistical samples typically account for television viewing only within the home, and thus, don't account for television viewing in public locations, such as restaurants, bars, airports and stores. As a result, broadcasters lose out on revenue because the rates set for advertisements are lower than they should be because of the exclusion of these viewers in the rating tallies.
In other instances, it would be desirable for commercial locations, such as stores and offices, as well as other public places, to offer television programming for the viewing pleasure of their patrons. This would allow viewers to see television programming regardless of their location without being tied to their television at home. This would also benefit broadcasters and advertisers, because their content would be seen by a larger number of viewers. However, there are equipment and programming costs associated with offering television programming in commercial settings. Further, there is often no monetary benefit for the operator of these commercial locations to offer television programming, because they may not derive revenue from the television programming. Present television technology provides virtually no incentive for most commercial locations to offer television programming to their customers, and thus, the number of commercial locations offering television programming is less than desired.